FanGraphs writer
and BeerGraphs founder Eno Sarris broached a subject in
his latest post Upsetting My
Forefathers that is near and dear to my heart: German beer and its
importance to him, and by extension, me. Whereas Eno was born in Germany and
moved to the US as a child, I first went to Germany as a high school exchange student in 1988 and subsequently have spent twelve years of my adult
life living in the home of beer.
Before moving to Germany when I was 17, I did not drink at
all. This quickly changed among my new found German friends and host brother
Klaus. As a result, I am a German beer drinker. My tastes were formed in
Germany, and I regard the country and its brewing tradition with reverence.
My Untappd profile reads
"A German Bier palate in an IPA world," which refers to me moving
back to the US seven years ago and having to get used to the new and exciting
beer landscape I encountered upon returning home to South Carolina.
Today, however, I rarely drink German beer for different
reasons:
1) The German beer that is sold in the US invariably comes
from the largest German breweries who have brewed neutral tasting beers for a
national and international clientele. These are the breweries that sponsor the UEFA
Champions League or the German National Soccer team. And as Eno and
BeerGraphs contributor Alex
Fossi recently covered, some of the breweries that were recently caught in a price-fixing scheme. Beck's, Warsteiner,
Radeberger, Krombacher, Veltins and Bitburger come to mind. They are fine
tasting, solid beers but really nothing special. That is, they aren't
"craft."
2) When I can get some of my favorite German beers such as
Bamberg's Mahr's "U" or nearby
Buttenheim's St.
Georgen Bräu Kellerbier, I have discovered that they just don't travel
well. They aren't necessarily completely "off", but one is left with
an extra malty beer that has been out of its comfort zone, both geographically
and temporally, for some time.
3) There are very few reasons to look beyond the borders of
this country, and increasingly one's own state or region, to find beers that
are world class.
I live in upstate South Carolina. My hometown, Spartanburg,
SC, has an outstanding brewery in RJ
Rockers, new breweries have recently opened up in Greenville, Columbia and
Charleston, Charlotte is booming with craft beer, and the beer mecca Asheville
is only 90 minutes away from my front door. This is not to mention the tasty
offerings right down I-85 at Terrapin
Beer Co. in Athens and SweetWater Brewing Company in Atlanta.
Returning then to Eno, who writes "my passport says I'm German, but my beer fridge says I'm American ...I'd rather try new stuff." Exactly! It's exciting times hierzulande, and there is no reason to look beyond the borders of this vast country to satisfy your desire for great tasting beer. Yes, I have more than warmed up to the IPAs despite my "German Bier palate," (Cigar City's Jai Alai and Lagunitas Sucks are my current two favorites), but I am even seeing outstanding pilsners in the US. I am always in search of domestic craft pilsners, and my favorites are Prima Pils from Victory Brewing, Torch Pilsner from Foothills Brewing, Captain Jack Pilsner from Olde Mecklenburg Brewery, Bohemian Pilsner from Brevard Brewing Company and Cascade Pilsner from Full Sail Brewing.
The nine years I spent living in Bamberg, the German town and county with the highest brewery density, population that consumes the most beer per capita (280 liters/year) and frankly the best beer in Germany, saw me become an avid beer trekker. While I can't get on my bike here and hit several breweries on a day spent cycling through the countryside, it is still nonetheless becoming increasingly possible to visit new breweries, craft beer stores with growler stations and find like-minded craft beer lovers in areas, especially here in the South, that were once dominated by big beer.
Eno shouldn't feel guilty about disappointing his German family (and I don't really think he does), and I don't have to worry about creating a little Germany in my home in order to enjoy good beer. The best beer in the world is being brewed right here in the US of A, so let's enjoy it without hangups. Prost!The nine years I spent living in Bamberg, the German town and county with the highest brewery density, population that consumes the most beer per capita (280 liters/year) and frankly the best beer in Germany, saw me become an avid beer trekker. While I can't get on my bike here and hit several breweries on a day spent cycling through the countryside, it is still nonetheless becoming increasingly possible to visit new breweries, craft beer stores with growler stations and find like-minded craft beer lovers in areas, especially here in the South, that were once dominated by big beer.
How about King Ludwig? Wheats aren't usually my favorites but I've recently noticed it's available here now and had one at a place in Midtown. still pretty good.
ReplyDeleteIs it the Weiss/Wheat beer? Those are good, and I haven't found too many American beers that can replicate good Bavarian wheat beers, though I had done a lot of tasting of American wheats.
DeleteIt's also the same with the Dunkel beers from Bavaria, which is also made my König Ludwig. They can be very good too, and there don't tend to be too many American equivalents.